CNN conservative pundit Scott Jennings went nuclear on Ashley Etienne during an appearance on anchor Laura Coates live program over the controversial remarks by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) who seemingly suggested that President Donald Trump was getting a little too close to his aide Natalie Harp, calling her and the Democratic Party out for insinuating the two were having an affair.
Jennings kicked things off by asking Etienne, who suggested that every president has close aides and thus the comment was innocuous, if former President Joe Biden hung out with a female aide. “Who was Joe Biden’s female that hung around all the time?”
Etienne paused for a moment to think before going on to respond, “Well, some would say Anita would spend a lot of time with him.” The two talk over each other for a bit, before Etienne further unpacks her point of view on the topic. “No, I’m saying there’s always a staffer that’s close to the principal that wants to be close to the principal, and so all that also said is they spend a lot of time together,” she said.
Jennings then changed gears and ripped into Ossoff, noting that he had a list of female staffers and aides as well, stating that if he made comments about the Georgia Democrat spending so much time with them, insinuating an inappropriate sexual relationship, the left would be furious. “Here’s the deal. He’s been in the Senate since 21,” Jennings said.
“He’s had dozens of female staffers ranging from intern all the way up to senior staff positions. What if I walked out here tonight and read a list of their names and said here’s such and such, here’s her title, and boy, it sure is interesting that she hangs out with John Ossoff so much. I wonder why. Oh, she looks pretty nice. I wonder why he did that. What if I did that? You would be no, I wouldn’t be outraged,” he continued.
Etienne replied, “No, I wouldn’t be outraged. You know why? Because it’s ridiculous. You know, Osoff would not respond the way that the president responded, nor the White House. They actually gave him more credibility the way that they responded. So, no, no, I’m saying it was a statement of fact. But I’m saying my point.”
“My problem with you is that the outrage that you have on this particular issue versus an issue that really deserves the attention of the entire nation, which is the health and safety of our servicemen that are on that topic tonight. But I’m just telling you,” she continued. Jennings then interjected and accused Etienne of pivoting away from the point he was making.
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“You’re a female staffer who climbed to the highest levels of politics. If someone insinuated that you had only done that because of sexual relations with a politician, you would be outraged, and I’d be outraged,” Jennings said. “No, I would be outraged if the White House responded the way they did. That’s what I would be offending you. No, but by name calling, they didn’t offend her. That wasn’t a defense,” she continued.
“They didn’t say, you know what, she’s qualified. She’s she’s spent her time. She’s gone to college. She’s got degrees. They didn’t say that. They started calling Ossoff names. So that’s not that’s not how you defend women,” she concluded, ending the viral clip. Given his defenses of President Trump and now Natalie Harp, along with how he manhandles liberal reporters, conservatives have suggested Jennings might be a fitting replacement for outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video